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- Did you ever hesitate about having a vegan pregnancy? How did you strengthen your resolve? Did you discover any facts or evidence that inspired you or gave you peace of mind?
Did you ever hesitate about having a vegan pregnancy? How did you strengthen your resolve? Did you discover any facts or evidence that inspired you or gave you peace of mind?
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by The Kind Life
on October 9, 2012
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Very briefly in the beginning I did hesitate. It was my first pregnancy and I had a million questions and concerns. It was my first question to my doctor at my first appointment. I had a really great doctor who didn't try to push me to change my diet though, or force me into anything else that was unnecessary. She told me the only real concern was making sure I got enough calcium and iron since that can be a problem for some women whether they're vegan or not. I did a little research to figure out how much of everything I needed and realized there wasn't anything more I needed during my pregnancy that I couldn't get with a vegan diet.
I'm currently 35th weeks pregnant and had eaten mostly vegan diet during this time. Actually, I've been vegan for about 2 years after having read the kind diet, prior to getting pregnant. But because I lost a lot of weight from severe morning sickness at the beginning of my pregnancy, I was naturally concerned about my baby's nutritional needs. I could also sense that my parents and relatives were worried, and though they didn't really push me into eating meat, I still felt vulnerable enough to give in to try some animal products for a week or two. Just to see how my body reacts. However, after having incorporated meat and dairy into my diet, I started getting pains in my hips and legs and it got to the point where I could hardly move or walk. The pain was so unbearable that it finally convinced me to stop eating meat for good. After I stopped eating animal products, I felt my pain go away right a way. Within a week I was completely pain free! Now I embrace my mostly vegan diet with confidence and am sure it will sustain me and my baby with a perfect health. BTW, my blood tests were always good.
I am such a devout vegan there was no question and I felt confident 100% because I had been vegan for so very long and I thrive. Still I did my research to find out exactly how much of everything extra I needed for a pregnancy and that was not hard to meet.
Having been vegan for 9 years and the good fortune of knowing other vegan Mamas, I never hesitated about having a vegan pregnancy. It took over a year for me to get pregnant–I was 36 and had experienced hormonal issues for many years. I found a naturopath who could help with hormones, but she insisted that I wouldn’t be able to get pregnant without eating “just a little bit of [chickens’] eggs.” As a dedicated vegan, I was determined to find another way, and, another doctor. In my search, I made sure that my new naturopathic doctor was vegan-friendly and whenever supplements were recommended, that vegan alternatives were given. If she didn’t know of any, I asked its purpose and then sought vegan versions. This worked very well; I was thrilled and even more confident in my vegan values when I saw the “positive” result on the stick!
By the time I got pregnant, I had already been vegan for 8 ½ years and my husband has been vegan for about 2. While I never truly considered not having a vegan pregnancy, I did know that some women change their eating habits during this time and wanted to leave the door open so I wouldn't be caught off guard in the unlikely event that I needed to abandon my vegan diet. I'm currently 25 weeks along and have been happily vegan the entire time.
I never had a hesitation about a vegan pregnancy since I had been so healthy for the last several years of a vegan lifestyle. I knew it was a good thing and that I was going to easily stick with it. I felt incredibly confident about a vegan pregnancy, my doctor just trusted me and it was proved at every weight check that I was doing great! I'm also the mom of 2 others so I was busy but because of some great cookbooks and the space to cook, and a great grocery budget I enjoyed some delicious vegan food during my third pregnancy!
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